2 Funny: Behind the Music – Electric Mayhem

ABC’s new series The Muppets put me in the mood to showcase some of my favorite Muppet characters, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

Rock on!

While doing the research for this entry, I discovered some interesting bits o’ trivia: did you know that band leader Dr. Teeth was modeled after both Dr. John and Elton John? (His unique mode of ‘speechifying’ was directly patterned after Dr. John.) And that he received his signature gold tooth from a voodoo priestess in Tupelo, Mississippi? Did you know that bassist Floyd Pepper’s name and costume are a direct reference to the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band? Did you know that lead guitarist Janice was originally conceived as a male character, and her large lips were originally meant to be a caricature of Mick Jagger’s, and that she’s literal flower child, as her mother’s name is Daisy? Did you know that drummer Animal may have been partially inspired by Ron Wood, The Who’s wild drummer? Did you know that saxophone player Zoot is 50 years old, once lived in a phone booth for 3 months and only owns 1 pair of pants? (None of this comes up in the video; I’m just showing off my geek-level trivial knowledge.)

Today’s 2 Funny is an early skit from season 1 of Robot Chicken, with the band being chronicled on VH-1’s Behind the Music. Like many RC sketches, it tends to get a tad dark in places, but unlike a lot of the current RC outings, it doesn’t overdo it and is genuinely funny for the most part. Here’s “Behind the Music – Electric Mayhem”.

-Funny stuff, but one minor nitpick: why no mention or appearance of Lips, the trumpet player who joined the band in The Muppet Show‘s 5th and final season and has been with the Mayhem ever since?

Come on, the guy blows a mean horn and talks like Louis Armstrong. That’s gotta be worth a mention at least.